Water is essential for life. We demand more and more water, but the
amount of water is limited and treatment costs
are high. To be sustainable we must reduce water use and improve water quality
to look after our health and that of the environment. In the South West we
depend on surface and underground sources for our drinking water. We also need
water to generate energy, grow crops, harvest fish, run machinery, carry waste
and for a great deal more.
All human activities and their by-products
have the potential to pollute water. Pollutants can enter surface or
groundwater directly, may run off the land or be deposited from the atmosphere.
Pollution can be made worse by certain weather conditions. In 1998 the South West
had the second largest number of pollution incidents in the country. The use of
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) can reduce rates of surface water run-off,
recharge groundwater, protect and improve water quality and benefit wildlife.
- Can clean or used water discharged from a developed site
be reduced and how can its quality be improved?
- By how much has the development reduced the use of water
compared to previous standards: by 10 - 40%, 40 - 70%, 70 - 100% ?
- Does the development include features (including
educational) that help change people’s behaviour to save water?
- Has a water meter been installed and is it working correctly?
- Have measures been introduced to reduce use of water?
(eg repair leaks, change valve systems to reduce flows, install flush
control/waterless WCs, collect and reuse rainwater)
- Have measures been taken to ensure that any potential
pollution will be prevented? (eg identifying drainage systems, bunding of
storage areas, supervision of deliveries)
- Consumers’ understanding is improved and their
environmental impact reduced
- Water is conserved, thereby reducing the costs of both
drinking water and constructing new storage facilities
- Water quality improved and the costs (environmental,
social and economic) of treating water and clearing up pollution avoided
- Eden Project - use of Sustainable Drainage System in the
construction of roads to reduce surface water run-off and protect water quality
- Residential development at Glebe Field, Georgeham, nr.
Barnstable - use of Sustainable Drainage System in the construction of roads,
for adoption by Devon County Council. (Contact - North Devon Homes, Pearce
Construction - 01271 345261, Michael Smith Architects - Tel: 01271 379050).
- Holwell, East Down - use of low flush WCs
- Wolfardisworthy Sports and Community Hall - Low water
use appliances, rainwater collection for WCs and waterless urinals
- National Trust - Towards a Waterless Estate - Purbeck
Estate, Dorset has replaced conventional toilets with waterless or low flush
WCs, reducing water use by 97% (Winner of Environment Agency/Water UK Water
Efficiency Award)
- Bristol Zoo ‘Green Audit - The Water Message’ Water
efficiency measures reduced water use by 42% (shortlisted for Environment
Agency/Water UK Water Efficiency Award)
- Wessex Water Headquarters, Bath - rainwater and surface
water is collected in large holding tanks beneath landscaped areas, with grey
water used for irrigation and 95% of toilet flushing. Porous paving in the car
park allows surface water to percolate into the natural water table
- Studland study centre
- Botallack Counthouse
- Blandford Water Market 2000 - awareness raising amongst consumers
- The Create Centre, Bristol - sustainable drainage system
in carpark and rainwater reuse for toilet cisterns
- Environment Agency web site - www.environment-agency.gov.uk
- Water Companies in the region - free water efficiency
audit service and advice
- Conserving water in buildings - Publication available
from the Environment Agency, Demand Management Centre (0845 933 3111). Contains
comprehensive advice on conserving water.
- Sustainable Drainage Systems - further details available
from Construction Industry Research and Information Association - Tel: 020 7222
8891, www.ciria.org.uk
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